In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1914) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1832, Trumbull county
From History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa, together with ... biographies of representative citizens. History of Iowa .. (1883), History of Butler County, Iowa: a record of settlement ..., Volume 2 (1914)
Thomas Hunt came to this county in 1854. He was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, October 2, 1832. His father, Samuel Hunt, was born in Pennsylvania, and his mother, Sarah (Faulkner) Hunt, in Ohio. He resided in his native State until he came to Iowa. In 1857 he married Miss Nancy Farlow, and in 1860 settled where he now resides. Mr. Hunt owns 212 acres of land, all of which is under cultivation, and his dwelling erected 1882, is one of the best in the county. He also owns 480 acres in Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have seven children — Sarah E., U. F., Charles A., Mary M., Samuel, Lillie B. and Thomas A. Mr. Hunt has been treasurer of the school board for a good many years. He is a republican. In religion a liberal. He was one of the charter members of the Odd Fellows Lodge, is a member of the Masonic Lodge, and has held offices in the same.
Solomon C. Cross was born in Monroe county, New York, in 1819. His parents, Asa and Abigail Cross, were both natives of New Hampshire. In about 1828 the family removed to Cattaraugus county, New York, where Solomon C. helped till the soil until 1855. He then emigrated to Wisconsin, and there married Miss Helen A. Whelan. In 1856 he came to Iowa, and first settled in Bremer county. Here, November 6, 1861, his wife died, and he subsequently married Miss Phoebe A. Whelan. In April, 18*70, he came to Butler county, and now owns 235 acres of fine land. Their children are Elida, Edwin, Abbie and Sydna.
A. Best came to the county in 1862, and first lived with his brother, Jesse Best, who came here in 1854, and now resides in Kansas. In June, 1864 he married Miss Catherine McCrery, daughter of Samuel McCrery, of Indiana, and in 1865 settled on section 31, Butler township. He owns 300 acres of well-improved land. Mr. Best was born in New Jersey, July 10, 1836, his parents being Peter and Mary (Trim mer) Best. In about 1839 the family migrated to Knox county, Ohio. Here Mr. Best learned the wagonmaker’s trade, and followed the same for three years after coming to Butler county. The children are Jacob S. and John W. The family are all members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a strong republican.
Ruluff Root is a native of Herkimer county, New York, being born at West Schuyler on the loth day of September, 1827. His father, Ruluff Root, was a na five, of Kenyon, Connecticut, and his mother, Fannie. (Kent) Root, of Rhode Island. They were married in Herkimer county, New York, and reared a family of seven children, four of whom are now living — Sallie, now Mrs. Horace Richardson, of Oneida county, New York; Mary Ann, now Mrs. E. M. Day, of West Schuyler, New York; George, of Fail-port, New York, and Ruluff — the subject of this sketch— who was bred to farm life. In 1859 he came to Iowa and entered one thousand acres of the best land situated in Dayton township, Butler county, then returned to his native state. In 1864 Mr. Root brought his family to Butler county, living on his farm until 1868. The farm where he now lives adjoins the town plat of Clarksville and contains 247 acres. Mr. Root still owns all the land he entered in 1854, and his is the finest stock farm in the county. His real estate amounts to thirteen hundred and forty-seven acres. In 1855 Mr. Root was married to Miss Rula Budlong, a native of Freeport, Monroe county, New York. Her father, Milton Budlong, was also born in the Empire State, and shipped the first carload of cat tie over the N. Y. C. & H. R. Railroad. Her mother, Clarissa (Shumway) Budlong, was a native of Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Root have four children — Milton R.; Clara F., now Mrs. Lewis Slimmer; Lida E., now Mrs. William Ladd, and Rula M. Mr. Root is a republican, but takes no more interest in politics than to perform his duty as a citizen.
As printed in History of Butler and Bremer counties, Iowa, together with ... biographies of representative citizens. History of Iowa .. (1883). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
THOMAS HUNT.
Thomas Hunt is the oldest resident of Clarksville and therefore no history of the town would be complete without extended reference to him. He participated in some of the troubles with the Indians here in the early days and knows every phase of pioneer life. He arrived in Butler county in 1854, so that almost six decades have since come and gone in which he has witnessed the changes wrought by time and men. A venerable citizen of eighty-one years, he was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, October 2, 1832, a son of Samuel and Sarah (Falconer) Hunt. The mother's birth occurred in the same township in which her son, Thomas, was born and her natal year was 1806. She was a representative of an old Virginia family. The father, Samuel, was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1800. His father, Thomas Himt, was a native of New Jersey, whence he removed to Pittsburg, there organizing the first Presbyterian church of that city. Subsequently he went to Jefferson county, Ohio, where he engaged in preaching for twenty years at two different appointments, spending his last days in that county. The ancestry of the family can be traced still farther back. The Hunts came of English lineage, three brothers of the name having come to America in colonial days, settling in New Jersey and Virginia. Jonathan Hunt, the great grandfather of Thomas Hunt was born in England and after coming to the new world toole part in the war for
Google independence, in which he was captured. In the material line Thomas Hunt comes of Holland Dutch ancestry and the family was early established in Virginia. Samuel Hunt and Sarah Falconer were married in Ohio and following his death, which occurred there when he was eighty years of age, she came to Iowa and spent her last days with her son, Thomas, passing away at the remarkable old age of ninety-four years. In the family were the following children: William and H. D., both deceased; Thomas; Mrs. Sarah Miller, now a widow living at Wilmont, Minnesota; Mrs. Mary Husband, a widow living at Shell Rock, Iowa; C. F. also of Shell Rock; Mrs. Minerva Nelson, a widow whose home is in Washington Springs, South Dakota, and Mrs. Elizabeth Fansaler, of Ohio.
Thomas Himt spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Ohio and was a yoimg man of twenty-one years, when in 1854 he came to this county. He settled in Butler township and has always made it his home, residing upon a farm until fifteen years ago, when he took up his above in Clarksville. He is the owner of one hundred and eighty acres of rich and productive land on sections 10 and 11 and for about thirty years he was engaged in the livestock business. He would purchase large herds of cattle in Minnesota and bring them to Iowa for sale. He also bought horses and mules in St. Louis and sold them in North Dak;Qta. He was an excellent judge of live stock and thus his business affairs were carefully and profitably conducted.
On the 13th of February, 1856, Mr. Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Farlow, who was born in Boone county, Indiana, December 2, 1838, and when fifteen years of age came to this county with her parents, Abner and Sarah (Martin) Farlow, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Darke comity, Ohio. They were married, however, in Indiana and spent their last days in Winterset, Madison county, Iowa. They had eight children, of whom six are living. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were born seven children: Sarah Etta, the deceased wife of Samuel Ren; U. F., a resident of Fesington, North Dakota; Charles A., of Milk River, Saskatchewan, Canada; Mary, the wife of Thomas Dougherty of Mission, Texas; Samuel, of Missoula, Montana; Lillian, the wife of D. J. Moore of Chicago; and T. A. of Comstock, Wisconsin.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
Google tion has been given mostly to his business affairs up to the time of his retirement. When he came to Iowa, this section of the state was largely undeveloped. The broad prairies were covered with an unbroken dazzling sheet of snow through the winter months while in June they were started with a million wild flowers. Indians were stiu frequently seen in this part of Iowa and at times occasioned trouble to the settlers on the frontier, Mr. Hunt aiding in bringing them into subjection. It was an arduous task to break the sod, plant the crops and develop new fields, especially as the farm machinery of that day was by no means equal to that which we use at the present time. However, Mr. Hunt was persistent and energetic and as the years passed on he not only converted his own land into productive fields, but saw a marked change in the condition of the county and has ever rejoiced in what has been accomplished along the lines of progress and improvement.
As printed in History of Butler County, Iowa: a record of settlement ..., Volume 2 (1914). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: Samuel McCrery (b. 1807) Shell Rock
Their biographies name Thomas Hunt: Henry Riefe (b. 1858)
The printed record stops around 1883. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.